‘Puss In Boots: The Last Wish’: Live Your Life, Stabby Tabby Spoiler Review
Image Source: DreamWorks Animation
Star light, star bright, is that Puss in Boots tonight? It took 11 years, but the cat is back in theaters for his second solo outing, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. The film is directed by Joel Crawford, who also directed The Croods: A New Age, co-directed by Januel Mercado and written by Tommy Swellow, Tom Wheeler, and Paul Fisher. It fully embraces being a fairy tale, a literal wish-fulfillment fantasy with a lesson in humility, and ends up very sweet.
The movie starts with a wishing star falling to earth, with Puss (voiced by the returning Antonio Banderas) reading its inscription, as it cuts to him performing a rather catchy song, “Fearless Hero,” at a party, which turns out to be unauthorized at the home of the governor, one of those in the British wigs kind of governors. The ensuing chase by the guards causes the awakening of a tree troll, and boy, the subsequent action (of which the climax uses the same animation techniques) wears its Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse inspiration on its sleeve, and it is stunning. Here, its utilization is supposed to invoke storybooks more than comics. However, the bell he used to defeat the giant also falls on him.
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When he wakes up, the doctor (voiced by Anthony Mendez) tells him he’s died. It becomes amusing that this film was brought in to replace The Super Mario Bros Movie on the release schedule, as it turns out Puss has died eight times, all hilarious. With Puss on his ninth and final life, the doctor recommends retirement and safety at Mama Luna’s. While contemplating at the milk bar, he has a troubling encounter with the Big Bad Wolf, who is very much Puss’s reaper. Wolf’s pursuit is unsettling and disorienting for much of the film, and it is very effective. Visibly shaken after losing his sword, he retires his outfit and surrenders to Mama Luna’s, where he is christened Pickles.
After growing accustomed to the routine there, growing a beard of sorrow, he meets a disguised aspiring therapy dog, voiced by Harvey Guillen. Known as Perrito, he is probably the best character in the film. Energetic, rambunctious, and optimistic despite great hardship, there’s no moral superiority deemed by the cosmos even when the map gives him a more pleasant path to the star than either Puss or Kitty Softpaws, who had joined them at that point.
Image source: DreamWorks Animation
Goldilocks (voiced by Florence Pugh) and the three bears and magic item collector Big Jack Horner (voiced by John Mulaney), accompanied by a James Stewart-sounding Jiminy Cricket, are also seeking the star in the Dark Forest, and whoever gets to it gets one wish. Each desire is clearly defined, and that’s great. The characters are written incredibly well in this manner. Even the villain’s second wind comes somewhat surprisingly. Not only does The Big Bad Wolf’s presence bring a sense of darkness to the film, but Horner’s nonviolent yet lethal ways are quite horrifying. This movie, which debuted a new and very celebratory DreamWorks logo, brings Puss’s lives with and away from Shrek in ways that say after over a decade of dormancy, a return may not be so far away.
Having yet to see the first film, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish was relatively easy to follow since it had a near-complete overhaul of the supporting cast. However, even without having seen it, Kitty and Puss’s reconciliation is very much earned. The film’s Spider-Verse animation style could propel it into consideration in several awards circles, and it would deserve it. Puss In Boots: The Last Wish opens nationwide on December 21, 2022. Go see it, and let it help bring joy to your current life and the eight others you have.
Rating: 8/10
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